Hi, Doug:

As “luck” would have it I managed to fall down several of our basement stairs last Fall (no pun intended, I promise. But I really hope it’s the “last fall” I ever take). I had a good hold of the railing & I don’t have any idea why I fell. Luckily it was only about six steps; it could have been much worse.

As it is, though, I dislocated my right shoulder & tore the right biceps tendon loose from the bone. The dislocation was fixed with physical therapy but surgery via scope was needed to install two titanium anchors in the front of the shoulder bone. The tendon tatters were trimmed, then it was sutured to the anchors.

Seeing that I can tie my shoes by myself again now I’m trying to get back to work on my tug. I’m still severely klutzy but I’m getting better every day & my fine motor skills are coming back OK.

When the doctor told me I needed surgery I said I wanted a second opinion. He said: “OK, you’re ugly, too”. Then I asked him if I’d be able to play the violin when I’m all better. He said I shouldn’t have any problem playing at all. That’s great news for me seeing as I can’t play one now. Seriously, I do miss not being able to play my guitars.

Well, that’s all I can write for now. I hope you’re doing really well & having great success with all of your projects.

Take good care.

Pete

Hi Pete, how's things?
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Pete, welcome back😊
Glad your eyeballs have cleared up 👍
Just ordered new goggles yesterday, should be here end of the month, then I can fiddle with 1mm LEDs again - maybe😉

No, I didn't put a plug and socket at the base of the mast.
I hard wired it into connections in the wheelhouse roof. Then took all the wires down through the funnels until they poked out the bottom of the main cabin. That's it for now. The mast is not glued in, it's a tight push fit so can still be folded down a bit.
Later I'll make the little distribution board and put the plug and socket there so I can still remove the whole superstructure for maintenance.

No again, I haven't done any more on the Southampton yet.
Been busy fiddling with my fish cutter Gina 2, hull preparation and preliminary coat of white paint, and cleaning up Colin's vintage Taycol field coil motor. See Electrical Blogs 'Taycol Supermarine'.

Cheers, Doug 😎

Thanks for the information. Following Doug’s lead I came up with an idea for a scale fluorescent light fixture to install on the pilot house ceiling. I have odds & ends in my spare parts boxes that I can use to make the fixture, complete with a reflector & transparent pebble-surface scale diffuser. Even though the fixture won’t be visible I still want to achieve nice, even light in the pilot house with minimal shadows.

The fixture design is still on the mental drawing board at this point but I’m reasonably sure it’ll work in the tug’s pilot house. if it doesn’t, however, I’ll definitely look into your suggestion.

Thanks for reading my post & for your helpful advice, too.

Pete

if your still thinking about the cabin light you may like to think about using a surface mounted LED

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Surface-Mounted-LEDs-10-Pack-Choose-from-available-colours-UK-Free-P-P/263020022470?hash=item3d3d370ac6:m:mhKaps2dYMjCRQilJ3q6aeA

Just to give you an idea

Hello, Doug!

I’m happy to report that my eyes are finally healed & I’m ready to get cracking on my tug’s LED lighting improvement project. Needless to say it’s so fantastic to be able to see again. The infection was so bad that I had to move around the house for weeks with at least one hand on the wall or I was in danger of falling or walking into the china cabinet. I lost what’s called “stereo vision” & had no depth perception. it was a nightmare to say the least, especially considering that the source of the infection remains unknown. But I just had a checkup at the ophthalmologist‘s office & I was given the happy news that all traces of the infection are completely gone. Hallelujah!🙏🏼👁👁

BTW, did you complete your tug’s mast LED lighting project? I recall that you had finished up the mast itself & had its LEDs working. Were you able to reinstall the mast in the pilot house roof & get everything back together without any problems? At one point you had mentioned possibly making a plug & socket arrangement for the mast so that it could be removed for safer transport to the lake. Were you able to follow through with that plan or was it just is easy to simply re-install the mast? finished for your dog? if so, how did it come out?

I hope all is well with you & that your many projects are all turning out successfully.

You beat me to it Colin 👍 I found those as well and zoomed 'em.
Looks like a form of Hi-Drag Stockless to me. ZY-6 perhaps?
https://www.google.com/search?q=anchor&client=firefox-b&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CfFk5f5z1stxIjh3v-f6XBUqtMaFvPunPF0WW6eEMlRwTx83aAQ7-VRjFuEVajCB3ZW6INeHJMT0AQMnnyxfIaPT6ioSCXe_15_1pcFSq0EWfp-oVF7ohoKhIJxoW8-6c8XRYR8UdrSsA2N-4qEglbp4QyVHBPHxEHwwlFx7f4JyoSCTdoBDv5VGMWEdeKfFdC8UvEKhIJ4RVqMIHdlboR4kyhSnadMgwqEgkg14ckxPQBAxH9KvO1-FzePioSCSefLF8ho9PqEco2s6mj51j2&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjA35yticfdAhVOKuwKHZ5uBG0Q9C96BAgBEBg&biw=1920&bih=955&dpr=1#imgrc=QnBVjglX2_7EVM:
Cheers, Doug
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Stockless_anchor

Thanks.

Or this.

Try this pic it may help.

Hi, Doug.

I’ve attached a zoomed-in photo of the “Anchor Enclosure” that’s built into the starboard bow bulwark of the Wyeforce. There’s an anchor in the box but I can’t tell for sure what kind it is. Maybe a navy-type with the fluke & bill pointed inward toward the deck? A better photo is needed to be sure, so I’ll keep looking. The enclosure itself would be simple to build & fit to the hull.

I remember seeing a photo of the boat’s foredeck area that showed what may have been a hawse pipe running inboard from behind anchor enclosure & down through the deck, presumably to a winch belowdecks? Does that make sense?

Pete

Hey, Doug.

Thanks for the photo link; I grabbed them for my reference archive. The winch can be seen again in one view; I think I have plenty of information now to extract measurements & sketch a fair representation.

Thanks again.

Pete

Evenin Pete,
Here's link to a Harbour tug site with more pics, including work deck and inside the wheelhouse.
Cheers, Doug 😎

http://www.danwalker.co.uk/Harbour_Tug_html/tuginfo.html

Doug:

I feel like a dunce for not noticing that anchor before. it sticks out like a sore thumb if you know where to look. That’s another thing that I’m surprised hobby engine didn’t add to the boat. I guess in the long run it was easier for moldmaking purposes to omit that particular detail. That’s another thing, however, that wouldn’t be all that hard to scratchbuild. All that’s needed is to cut an opening in the bulwark & build a sheet styrene box for the housing. it’s not exactly a high priority item, but I think it would go a long way toward adding realism.

So far none of the photos of the Wyforce I seen show what the anchor enclosure looks like on the inside of the bulwark. Then again maybe some of them did & I missed that, too. I assume there’s an anchor winch, possibly below deck near the chain locker. I expect there’s a “drop/raise” button inside the pilot house. I’ll browse for a photo of the anchor & post it if I succeed.

Thanks

Hi Pete, Welcome back👍
Yes, I did remove the moulded rungs. No chance of cramming the wiring in if you don't. I just twisted them out with a small pair of pliers and machined the rest out with a 3mm milling bit in my mini drill.
I had hoped you would come to the 'cluttered' conclusion about the mast!
Don't know of any standards for lamp spacing, never thought about. Spect there is, maybe Ed (figtree) knows, but he's having internet problems at the moment 🤔

Thanks re antenna cables. Not difficult with a couple of chunks of copper wire and the pin-drill. Some time I will also add the two small booms carrying a GPS antenna and an anemometer.
Re anchors: all tugs I've ever seen have anchors. This is on my list of 'Missing details on the model'. it's quite a long list🤔
Pics attached showing the anchor in a recess on the stbd bow.

BECC still exist but only seem to sell through agents/stockists now.
Here the US/Canada stockists;-
http://www.becc.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d47.html
This probably your best bet
http://www.loyalhannadockyard.com/
Some of the others have disappeared😲

Look forward to your winch sketch, cos I wanna build one too!
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hello, Doug:

Out of curiosity, did you remove the molded-on plastic ladder rungs from inside of the mast to gain more space for wires?

Seeing your finished mast has shown me that it’s best to keep the original nav light locations. Having all 6 lights on the main mast will make it look too cluttered. With all of the lights switched on it’ll look like a light saber is jutting out of the pilot house roof.

Do you know if there are standards governing the horizontal spacing of navigation lights? There should be, otherwise I’d think the lights could tend to overlap & look like one big light, especially in fog.

BTW, the cables you added to the mast antennas look great. The smooth curve of the cables & the weather boots at the antenna connections add a lot of realism. Well done!👍🏻

Speaking of details, do you know if tugboats carry anchors? if so, what type? As far as I know the US Coast Guard requires every powered vessel to have at least one anchor. I see no reason why tugboats would be exempt from this rule.

I’m glad you mentioned using a Tamiya sanding sponge as a means of removing the factory-applied lettering. There’s a model railroad technique I’ve used successfully where an ordinary pencil eraser & window cleaner are used to remove lettering. I’m sure it would work on my boat but I might not live long enough to get it finished. Shortly after I got the boat I ordered a cloth American flag & scale Plimsoll markings from BECC. Sadly BECC has gone out of business. Another good supplier goes around the bowl & down the hole. Sad.

Regarding the winch again, your comments tell me that I may have mislead you into thinking that my boat has a winch. it doesn’t, but I did say I’m planning to scratchbuild one. in fact, I’m going to sketch one out right after I post this message.

Thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete,
Thanks 😊 Yep, I decided to stick with 4 lights cos tha's all I see on the original 'WYEFORCE'. Yep again! I do intend to modify the two lights on the stub mast; 1 yellow 'Towing' and 1 white 'Stern'.
I will also fit a wheelhouse light. Decided to do it 'fluorescent' style by fitting 2 white 3mm LEDs in the ends of a long block of 5mm perspex.
After that the 2 work-deck floodlights, lower cabin lights and 2 deck lamps 1 each side of the main cabin. I'll probably link the cabin and deck lights so that they all come on together. Now pondering how to build a miniature working diesel genny to power them all😁
Good luck with your divider! You will have more wires to squash in than I did so I doubt there's room. Have fun trying.
I separated the wires quite easily by keeping all the negative legs of the LEDs (that's the leg going to the larger electrode in the diode) on one side and soldering them to the brass wire negative rail first.
Then I took colour coded thin 'hook-up' wire to each LED in turn; working from the top down. Cut the LED leg to 1/4", stripped the hook-up wire back 1/4", twisted the wire strands together and tinned it. Tin the LED leg as well and bend it 90° down the mast. Then it's easy to solder the wire cleanly to the LED keeping it well away from any other wires. When all was connected, and tested OK, I stuck the wires down with thick gel super glue so they can't wander about.

To fit the LEDs to the mast, I removed the brackets; removed the dummy lights with a razor saw, filed the mounting flat and drilled holes for the LED legs in them, using a 0.75mm drill bit in a pin chuck, and glued the LEDs on with gluper sue.
Then I bent the leads 90° back towards the mast and drilled 0.75mm holes horizontally into the mast so I could literally 'plug' the lamp bracket complete with LED straight in and glue it down.
Painted matt black the leads become invisible, as in 3rd pic above😉

Winch: at least your version of the model seems to HAVE a winch! Or where did those two pics come from? Mine ain't got nuffink, just a big 'ole at the back of the cabin😭
All the best, Doug 😎

Hey, Doug

What you’ve done so far looks terrific. I noticed that you stayed with four lights on the mast itself. I take it you’ll also replace the two “dummy“ lights on the stub mast (behind the pilot house) with working ones? I considered the same thing but I like the look of all six lights on the “main” mast.

Based on how things usually work out for me I’m still going to put a divider or barrier in the mast before I button it up. if there’s the slightest ghost of a chance of a short in the wiring it’ll happen to me. Five minutes’ work & a scrap of plastic will help me sleep better.

Regarding the winch, it appears to be a very simple unit (see attached photos). The large bitt/towing hook unit in the photos hides some of the winch details, but it doesn’t look like a complicated unit to model. A few pieces of plastic sheet stock, some rounds & a few bits from the spares boxes is pretty much all it’ll take. I plan to attach the winch assembly to the Deckhouse; not to the deck. The base plate for the winch will need to be shaped to fit around the horn speaker grille holes in the deck but otherwise no problems. I already have a large roll of scale rope to wind around the drum.

If anyone who reads this happens to have photos or a sketch of the winch in full view please post them if you’re willing.

Thanks.

Pete

Mornin' Pete (it is in Germany anyway!)
I agree, there are lots of details and 'standard equipment' missing from the basic model. You can see the winch and Life Raft canister in one of the photos of the original I posted above.

Re Mast wiring; don't fiddle about putting a divider in the mast. it'll just get in the way. Attached is a pic of my modified mast. I used a 0.5mm brass wire on the right-hand side for the earth return. Wire is better than rod cos it's flexible (can be pushed into the corner). I glued it in with gel Gluper Sue WHEN all connections were soldered and tested.
The LEDs are standard domed lens types. I ground the tops flat and painted the tops with several coats of matt black until it was opaque.
After testing I closed off the mast with some plasticard and fitted ladder rungs made of copper wire. I also added the missing antenna cables to the bottom of the VHF IMM antennas, 0.5mm brass wire.
(Some time I'll also fit the missing GPS antenna and anemometer.)
Then painted the mast matt black.
I then turned my attention to the searchlight and red/green NAV lights.
First I stripped the wheelhouse roof and painted it white as in the original. On my model it was grey🤔
Then I drilled out the searchlight to accept a 5mm Bright White LED.
You won't have to do this cos you have a later version with lights, mine had none 😭 Then had to paint the searchlight with several coats of matt black. Otherwise it just glowed all round!
Pics show construction stages and finished lighting effect.
All wires inside the wheelhouse roof I super glued to the ceiling and ran them down inside the funnels (stacks to you guys across the pond!😉) ready for connection to a switch board in the hull.
While I was at it I rubbed the false Southampton name off the cabin using a 1000 grit Tamiya sponge and am preparing inkjet printed decals with the correct Wyeforce name and logo.
Have fun getting all lit up Pete,😁
Cheers, Doug 😎
PS Attached some pics showing the original 'Southampton' 😉 and making obvious what's missing on the model 🤔

Hi, Doug:

I hope all is well. FYI, I’ve received all but one of my parts orders needed for the LED Mast Light project. The flat top LEDs arrived today & will be perfect for Nav lights. I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but a while ago I decided that instead of starting work right away it would be best to wait until everything I need for the project is on hand.

While waiting for parts to arrive (& mysterious eye infections to clear up) I looked the boat’s Cabin & Pilot House over & made a list of details I want to add, changes or replace, not least of which is the conspicuous absence of a towing winch. Other things like adding a life raft canister, better looking life rings, fire extinguishers, etc. will come later, after completing the Mast LED Nav lights & wiring changes per your design.

This brings me back around to a wiring question. Some time ago we discussed using a common ground bus inside the Mast & soldering each of the six “-“ leads to it rather than using six wires to do the same job. I plan to put a plastic divider piece up the middle of the Mast & run the six “+” LED wires on one side. The other side will have the bare ground bus onto which the “-“ leads of each LED will be soldered. The question is: what gauge should the bus be? I was thinking of using a length of brass rod but I don’t know what diameter to use.

What do you think?

Thanks,
Pete

Hi,
Put the original radio board, smoker and light wiring back in.
Take out your new RX and ESCs and use them for something else.
Then fit a P94 dual ESC and Rudder Mixer from Action Electronics, sold by Component shop. You will get the same effect when used in Mode 3 👍😁
You will only need the 10A version for the Richardson.
https://www.componentshop.co.uk/p94l-dual-esc-and-mixer-2-x-10-amp.html
Only difference with the 20A version is chunks of ally on the power transistors as heat sinks! Easy enough to 'self fit' 😉
Have fun, cheers, Doug😎

I have a Richardson Tug and have now got each prop with its own ESC, trouble is to do it I had to replace the radio which cut out the lights, horn and smoke so maybe to strip out everything and start again is the best idea. individual twin props are good, it will now turn around in iys own length. I gues it depends on what you want to do with it, just sail it or use it for tug towing.

Deffo resistors come after the choke. They drop the voltage from 15v to 7.5v To charge Nimhs at 7.4 at various capacities from D cells singles or multiples down to 6 cells Half AA packs. The Ds are glow starters the others for various Radio/Power packs Say 19000 or so Mmilliamps down to a few hundred. all have been shorted some how and fried the resistors beyond readability. I'm doing this for fun as I have others I can use but would like to keep them with their original kit. if needs be I can series them. Auf Wieder whats it. John👍😁
PS thaf van is at no5 I live at no 7🤓

H
i

J
o
h
n
My 'word in edgewise'😉😁
Are you sure they are resistors and not chokes? What output voltage and current rating are the Warts?

Can't claim to 'know' Meliden! Nearly 50 years ago I lived at RAF Cosford, between Wolverhampton and Wellington, and from there, or when I visited an Aunt & Uncle in New Brighton Wallasey, we used to tour North Wales from time to time. Meliden rang a faint bell, so I Google-mapped it 😉

Sometime much later after a business trip to Liverpool I took 'the pretty way, home to Sandhurst via Wales and the M4 😁 Loved it 👍

The Grove huh? Bet that's your Boat Transporter 😁😁
Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi doug Can't get a word in sideways /edgewise LOL. Re the resistors I'm repairing some "wall warts" and need output resistors which have been burned out by shorting. Guessing the resist needed but quite small.All I have tried so far have been too much. Red Lion, Miners very good but The Star (old Plough) is less than 100 yds away opposite the end of the Grove where we live. Just across the main road. How come you know Meliden then? The thing is I'm more or less T-Total.😜👍

Wadaya Know!
There's still some Premiums / Platinums around and not so pricey now😊
https://www.modellbau-universe.de/produkt%3Bflower-class-corvette-premium-edition-revell%3Bre~05112%3B15%3B1%3B1%3B1.htm

Hmmm! Thanks for the warning👍
I've also got the old original kit, no lights or rotating radar, but those are no great sweat anyway.😉 And have collected a mass of 'after market parts. Premium edition seems to have disappeared? Shame.
Enjoy the film, but get the book. it's worth it.
G'night, Doug 😊 ZZZZZZZZZZ

Strange that you should mention the Movie/book 'The Cruel Sea', have just bought the DVD from Ebay, looking forward to watching it once again. I have an old Revell corvette kit, and last month bought the NEW corvette kit from Revell which has most of the lighting in kit form, plus revolving radar, but very annoyed 😆to find out that there is no p/e parts or wooden decking as in the platinum edition, but it only cost me £100 + vat trade deal, sssh🤐
Cheers Peter😊

Know what you mean Peter, I think, when I get round to her, I'll do mine as 'HMS Compass Rose'. The 'fictitious' ship in Nicholas Monserrat's book 'The Cruel Sea'. Which is based on his experiences on a Flower Class in the Battle of the Atlantic. Well worth a read👍 Difficult to put down 😲

Try Googling and/or Wikiing Flower Class corvette and you should get oodles of links to photos of the originals and suppliers of kits n bits.
What you could do of course is to Go The Whole Hog and buy the newer Revell Premium version of the kit. That has wooden decks and a host of detailed upgrade parts. Plus LED lights etc 😊 List price here €199.
https://www.revell.de/en/products/revell-technik/flower-class-corvette-technik.html
Whatever you do, enjoy it😊 Cos otherwise there ain't no point is there!?
All the best, Doug 😎

Many thanks Doug, once again to the rescue👍, would like to build mine as a USS one, any ideas....then maybe keep the deck steel!
just fancy a different version than the usual HMCS ones.
Peter😁

My God Peter! I've no idea now 😲 She's been in the stash for about 25 years or more now 🤔
Sorry. I'll look for the bits n pieces tomorrow n see if there's any clues. Ciao Doug
PS Found it! it was in the Great Little Ships Deck And Fittings Set, and it's brass not wood, and heavy.😲
https://www.djparkins.com/product.php?productid=18179&cat=303&page=1
In the meantime I believe Artwox in Oz do a wood deck.

Hi Doug, with reference to your wooden decks for the 1/72 flower class corvette, where did you get them from? I'm having trouble getting any browser info🤔
many thanks, Peter😋

Hi Pete,
That was just a selection of my larger 350 scale kits! Forgot HMS Prince of Wales battleship😉
I also have a vast collection of everything from 720 to 72, including the Revell Flower Class corvette. I started an XL spread sheet to keep track of them with scale and size data, number of shafts, and where practical and already measured max load capacity!

Re: wood decks; I have them on my Graf Spee and HMS Belfast both 1:128, and have bought them for Hood, Bismarck and the corvette.
In my experience the self adhesive starts to pull up at the edges, always in the most awkward place to get to to fix😡 I learned to use a gel type gluper sue for first time fitting and thin runny stuff for repairs so it creeps under the edge a bit.
Yes please, the info on the decks would be useful especially Titanic. i have a premium version with lots of etch parts but no wood I think.
Why do we do it? Cos we're nuts! Prerequisite for scale modelling 😁
Happy modelling, Cheers, Doug 😎
PS my favourite carrier photo attached; Capn of the Nimitz wanted to go water skiing 😁😁

Doug:

Why do we do it? So many kits, so little time. I just looked at my list...736 kits, not counting the last year’s worth of purchases. I’ve convinced myself that it’s a nest egg.

My downstairs stash of 1:350 ships also has the Tamiya HMS Hood, Big E & USS Missouri. I’ve got the RMS Titanic, too & the RMS Lusitania as well. Subs of all types, a resin USS Long Beach & Bainbridge to compliment the Big E. Remember the famous “Nuclear Navy Trio” photo? I’ve attached a copy in case anyone hasn’t seen it.


The 1:350 Normandie is an astounding resin cottage industry kit that I got at a very good discount but it still cost twice as much as my first car! I can send you the link to it if you like, but make sure you’re seated before you look at the price.

BTW, I found sets of pre-cut, self-adhesive wood decks for the Titanic & Hood, too, I believe, & a few others, but I can’t remember which ones. They really make a model pop, for sure, but I’d be inclined to use contact cement or something so they don’t “pop” off the model. if you’re interested I can send info about those to you, too.

Pete

Hi
I also have a collection of 1:350 kits; HMS Ark Royal (carrier), HMS Hood, USS Enterprise The Big 'E', Bismarck and Titanic. Reckon I'll probably have to use the tiny chip LEDs for those.😲🤓

Can't wait to see photos / vids of 'Curiosity' in action👍

Doug:

The glass paint is indeed a great idea. it’s an idea that I’ll consider seriously whenever a situation arises that’ll make using colored LEDs impractical, such as on my 1:350 SS Normandie kit, maybe?

Finding the flat-topped LEDs made staying with your original design an easy choice.

Regardless of when the job gets done, I can just imagine launching the tug late in the day, waiting until just before dusk, then switching the lights on with the transmitter’s function buttons until they’re all shining & reflecting in the water.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

Thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete,
👍 The glass paint was only a 'wild card' suggestion when I saw that you had dozens of white LEDs 😉 Just happened to see it in the cupboard, I'd used it on some 3V bulbs for my destroyer years ago.

Dunno about mine being finished first. I've got a few other things cooking before I'll get back to to the Southampton. On the other hand ...... 😁😁
Good luck👍 Cheers, Doug 😎
PS make a chain of the white LEDs and use them for 'dressing ship'! 😁

Hey, Doug:

Thanks again. I’ll take your suggestions & mark up your drawing accordingly. I still need to finish clearing away the molded-on plastic details inside the mast, then order the parts for this project. I generally don’t like starting any kind of project until everything needed is on hand (everything I think I’ll need, that is). You’ll probably have your tug’s lighting finished long before I do.

I’m looking forward to being able to use my desktop PC comfortably again. Every word & photo I’ve posted on this fantastic site so far has been typed on or photographed with my trusty iPhone 6. it’s very convenient but it’s awfully hard on my eyes. The little touch keyboard is a challenge for my beat up old dinner plate-size mitts, too.

Anyway, when my tug’s new lighting & modified controls are all built, tested & buttoned up I’d like to combine your drawing, spreadsheets & various notes with my own hen scratches, notes & miscellaneous observations into a CAD drawing. Naturally you’ll be cited as the project EE/electronics designer on the drawing’s title block.

I’m confident in saying that your tug’s lighting will use factory colored LEDs, not hand-colored white ones. it would be a shame if I didn’t follow suit & use your design for colored LEDs as originally intended. I’ll much more satisfied knowing that the new navigation lights & other changes were done the right way.

The glass paint is coming off my list!

Thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete,
Thanks for the link👍 The flat on those diodes should make them easier to fit to the mast😉

Use the 150 and 330 Ohm resistors as in the drawing.
If after painting test 'em and if you feel that the red/green and/or the two yellow deck lights are not bright enough reduce their resistors to 120Ohms.
If anything looks TOO bright or gets warm go one resistor value up.
I.e. 150 --> 180, 330 --> 470.
Good name for the boat👍
Maybe I'll name mine 'Knowall' or 'No-😊orl'.
Cheers, Doug 😎

Good afternoon, Doug:

I found the flat-topped LEDs at Ali Express. The url for these LEDs is: https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32462840779.html?

I’ve included another photo of the LED that has a dimensioned sketch with it. FYI, I’ve ordered lots of stuff from Ali Express, such as hobby tools & supplies, electronic components, gizmos, gewgaws & doodads. One particularly nice thing I purchased is a wireless guitar-to-amp device. Everything I’ve bought has been top-quality, but because nearly everything ships from China it can take several weeks to be delivered to me here in Massachusetts.

Now for the inevitable question:

If I use your drawing as it is now & modified the circuit board, added the resistors as you’ve already indicated & connected white LEDs in all locations, everything would work OK, but some LEDs would be brighter than others because your design was based on using colored LEDs. Correct? Based on your observations & experience would any harm be done? Don’t worry, I’m not going to jump the gun without your final drawing (which I’m in no rush for...take your time). I’m just curious.

Which leads to my last remark, for now. For some reason my wife thinks I ask far more questions than “normal” people do. She claims that I’m exceedingly curious. I don’t know what she means, but her offhand remarks have inspired me to rechristen the Richardson. When the LED project is complete & the tug is all ship-shape & Bristol fashion, her new name will be: “Curiosity”.

Sounds good to me Pete👍
Use the resistor values in the table I already posted.
Post the url please.
Cheers Doug 😎

Hello, Doug:

I stumbled upon some other LEDs that are particularly well suited for navigation lights. They have the same specs as the rectangular LEDs shown in the photo I posted recently, but what makes them ideal for me is that they’re flat-topped, not domed. They’re cylindrical in shape, still 3mm diameter & look quite similar to ship’s lanterns (see photo). With your experience you’ve probably seen these before, but I was surprised to see them. My plan is similar to the original idea for making scale lights, except as we last discussed white LEDs will be used everywhere, colored by dipping them in appropriately colored glass paint. For the mast lights that will remain white but need to emit light at a given angle, I’ll mask & paint the LED’s body the same color as the mast, resulting in a clear aperture. 4mm & 2.5mm diameter disks punched from sheet styrene, glued one atop the other, then painted & glued to the top of each LED will form the light’s top covers.

What do you think?

BTW, the flat-top LEDs are also available in a variety of colors. if anyone is interested I’ll post the url to their location.

Thanks,
Pete

I just bought 20 of everything between 1 Ohm and zig MegOhms for about 7 Quid.
Should keep me going for a week or two 😁
What on earth do you do with 10 to 20 Ohms??

Meliden! Sink a pint for me at the Red Lion 👍
Or do you prefer the Miner's Arms?

My Spies are everywhere 😁😁

Likewise in Meliden N.W.👍👍 Probably too many in most of the batches unless you sold some on Flea bay. Mixed values BTW😊👍👍I've ordered a hundred of ten to twenty ohms Ten of each for about £3.50👍👍

Shucks John, an' I just bought a batch o resistors 🤔
They don't make no noise neither 😁
G'night, cheers, 'Sleepless in Munich' 😎

Hey, Ed:

Yes, I’ll take several photos to document the project. I’ll shoot a video or two as well to highlight the differences between the tug’s original factory lighting & the new setup. I’ll shoot video of the tug out on the water at dusk, first with the light off, then with the lights on. it should look pretty good.

It’ll be a while before anything gets posted because I still have to get all the parts. I have a lot of nasty medical stuff to deal with, too.

Wish me luck.

Thanks,
Pete

Loads of resistors going cheap (no not cheep) on bang good at PRESENT V👍😁ELLY SHEEP

Evening Pete,

Are you going to document what you do?
By posting picture and a thread?

Ed

"Brush painting transparent colors always seems to result in a very blotchy finish."
That's EXACTLY the experience I made and why I recommend drip dry😊
Happy Dremeling 😁